I reckon the fundamental problem with rigid MTB’s claiming to be gravel bikes is that they don’t have the top end, what’s that? a 32×11 top gear? and 32×52 granny gear? i don’t think with the weight and intention of a bike like that, it needs that kind of climbing gear? maybe if it was a 36 or 38 chainring it would be a bit more on the money, but i’d be surprised if Transmission has that as an option

SOoo

my Top fuel is on Xr4’s, i also have had to stop riding it and ride the big bike on the dry steep stuff, the top fuel has a low front end also which i fear added to the drama. however, my bigger bike which has a fresh HR2(previously a worn dhr2) gives much more confidence on the same surfaces. I’m eager to try the Trek on a 130mm fork to bring the front up a bit to see if that helps with the weighting.

But basically.. the Xr4 rear in my example didn’t work for steep dusty switchbacks for me and put the fear of god in me, BUT in literally any other riding scenario it is superb, leading me to think weighting was part of the issue

Not a Mac person, but i assume you have tried it with the Macbook on mains power? as that might reduce performance throttling?

@bassmandan

funnily ive just put crowdstrike on my blacklist

and we have recently started running with cisco secure kit :D

sounds like careful planning to me

I’ll be there , but getting picked up after.. probably for the best….

Continental trail/crossking ?

stealth add, got pair of nearly new trail kings in 27.5 x2.2 i need to shift

pretty sure you can turn off driver signing and then forcibly install an older driver

3 Ways to Disable Driver Signature Enforcement in Windows 11 (windowsreport.com)

yup, replace BB, it would be due soon anyway

and who knows why the thread was damaged, perhaps the female thread wasn’t ideal, the short and tall of it the mechanic fixed the situation at no real detriment to anything

yup, also stingey, and don’t like waste, so trying to actually use the stuff up that i have

So, unanimously I’m taking the DHF on the rear as not going to be what i am looking for

Shorty sounds like a good option, but potentially outbalanced by a DHF front?

HR2 has mixed recommendations… i have tried it before, and noticed it being draggy, but right now I’m prepared to test it. If i don’t have a use for the HR2’s i have then perhaps i will need to fork out for a new DHR… or whatever the modern evolution of it is? an aggressor?

no issues swapping wheelsets, rarely have any drivetrain issues, granted i used to do it the most on 11 speed

just to add

you are new to MTB, a “better” fork may not be the golden ticket you expect, in fact, a high end fork could potentially give you far too many setup options to play with and end up further away from where you need to be

Unless you have a truly entry level fork, like a coil suntour or suchlike, you may find with more experience and tweaks, your current fork is adequate

There is a lot of learning to how a fork should feel, and sometimes it can be almost counter intuitive. Ie, my fork is beating me up, let some air out, but what is actually happening is you are packing down, due to too soft a fork or you are struggling with grip, when it could be down to tyres, or even bad technique.

Likewise, more travel isn’t always better, a better setup fork can trump more travel

not sure re the full fat comments?

I’ve never found my Fazua motored bike to be lacking up any hills I’ve taken it on

what i will say though is, the most tiring part of an e commuter bike is if you are likely to be pedalling beyond the limiter, if so, a good drop bar bike is quicker and easier to pedal

But, if you just sit on the motor, an e bike is pretty nice when its crappy weather  etc just to chuck suitable kit on and pedal through

As much as i used to love gravelkings, i can’t say anything good about the 38mm SS i chucked on a bike, pretty much consistently punctured requiring plugs/attention pretty much daily on a 10m commute, compared to the 38mm torreno zero which punctured once needing pumping up until the sealant did its thing over many dozens of the same commute, or the G ones in 45mm which i haven’t seen any issue with over maybe 10 commutes and plenty of proper gravel riding

I don’t think the mechanism should be making contact there? i know you’ve said you’ve tried spacers, but to me that looks like the cleat is far too into the soul of the shoe

on my clipless shoes the only damage seems to be where the pins from my platforms gouge slightly twisting in and out, certainly no evidence around the cleat slot.

on the cheapy shimano 520’s the only interface to the shoe is the mechanism, and to the sides of the cleat box along the axle

armoured under shorts and knee pads, or armoured under leggings i think i’ve seen

Double cashback day via Quidco today

6% on ebay

10% argos

6% tredz etc etc

If you don’t have Quidco, please pm me for a referral

Best bet is to put on a black hoody and balaclava, use a battery powered disc cutter and no one will bat an eye

yup, connected to my left hand rival? shifter on my nukeproof digger

weight isn’t anything I can notice, bike is carrying tools, water bottles, top bag with more kit in…what’s ~400g in the addition of a dropper

I use it in a variety of ways

mounting and dismounting

tucking on fast (road) descents

slightly dropped for pedalling over rough surfaces

all the way down for MTB trails and jumps

my 9.8 in medium, with 300g pedals and xt crank, weighed 14.2kg on a cheap scale

a few 100g can come off the 2kg entry level fox 34, another 100 odd off the dropper

honestly, the weight isn’t a concern, bike is rapid up stuff, and so eager to jump, my big(er) bike is 1kg heavier… and they are worlds apart in climbing performance

the plus side, the bike is solid, the frame is solid, the wheels are solid, nothing feels down country or cross country

The other thing to mention, is that the lower models come with a 120mm fork, top end are 130… so if you were thinking about top end, or re forking, you’ve got a token amount of extra height there

I honestly didn’t notice the stack, until i tried longer rides.

i think the selling point is, ride it as a trail bike, or take it on a marathon with a low stretched out position

stock wheels? the aluminium’s? 1800? or there abouts maybe a bit more.. some of which is in the “tape” thing they fit

the wheels are great, I prefer them to my dt350 / xm481’s

but i say that from a 72kg rider, at 6’2 you’ll; be asking more from them than me

great bike, be careful with the sizing. Im 5’8 and went medium (was gonna go ML glad i didn’t)

as stated the front is super low.. i had no idea why i was getting lower back pain… until i sat next to a mates trail bike…

I’m on 38mm risers at the top of the steerer and it only just works for general trail riding for me, so id advise NOT to size up unless your fitness allows you to get onto the bars comfortably

re, just watch the pump track races at crankworx

the amount of speed they produce on a chainless bike is insane… i don’t think that if i i had a chain on the same course i would be anywhere near them

^^ this is literally pumping in and out to increase speed right?

if unsure, Ben Cathro did some nice videos on it

it was a big UK? steel frame builder, can’t remember who

yup, big wheels maintain momentum, but in mountain biking you can be constantly decelerating and accelerating. so additional energy is expended there. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t poo pooing any of the arguments, just saying that they were a drop in the ocean compared to the gyroscopic effect bringing increased stability

A frame builder did a recent comparison, and pretty much concluded that the only real tangible difference is the gyroscopic effect at speed. yes we know there is improved roll over but when you actually look at what it is like in the real world it would be unperceivable

Conversely, i am so much more a fan of the way my 27.5 bike climbs compared to the 29ers I’ve had. That being said, comparing my 29 hard tail to my Top Fuel, tyre choices, riding position etc, and the FS Top Fuel was a much nicer pedal, the hardtail being a horrible climber (Sonder Signal, dt xm481 with 2.6 enduro casing tyres)

start with some safe but rewarding riding, light xc/gravel perhaps, away from busy roads..take yourself on a route somewhere in the sun, somewhere to end up in the country side, have snack, drink, before coming home.

repeat the “safe” rides which offer some sort of nice reward at the end, views, peace, a cafe, whatever takes your fancy.

Build on distance and your perception of what might be safe.

But ingrain it in your head, Saturday morning i am riding to such and such.. don’t deviate from it, no matter the conditions

I’ve got the Top Fuel with the same wheels, excellent wheels.. was going to put my DT XM481’s on instead, but actually prefer these, decent pickup etc.

Ive had the Bonty SE4 and SE5 in 2.’6’s on my hardtail, and they felt slow, combo of heavier casing plus 2.6

Same bike, same weight wheels, with Bonty xr2/3 in 2.3? was totally different,   likewise the xr4’s in 2.4 on the top fuel are perfect for all but the crappiest conditions, with decent rolling speed and climbing efficiency.

I’d try the tyres out, see how you get on. At least with Bontrager you can go up and down casing/grip easiliy enough without much confusion

no ebike, used to wear a FF all the time, made no odds, except it was harder to drink from a water bottle, will also wear trousers if i don’t want to wear pads, and sleeves or no sleeves are an option for me. rarely wear a jacket… unless super wet or cold.

trousers make zero difference to temperature to me, upper body is more important. have a decent amount of ink on arms and legs so i err 0n protecting that

i had a couple of headaches in a row last year, incredibly unusual for me

turns out it overtightened the retention on my helmet.. felt comfortable but over time induced a headache… was so weird

as above, a larger battery gives you more flexibilty, and the ability to export at beneficial times

slightly moot if you go intelligent flux for example though

Also, check the warranty of the kit to give you the peace of mind

I’ve done it a couple of ways previously

on one bike i was able to take it into the frame near the brakes/gears and around the BB and up for an internal option

on my nippers bike i did the same, but out an exit at the BB, around the bb, then drilled a small hole in the seat tube and back in

and the latest improvised dropper is cable tied along the top tube as best i can and loop up to the external dropper…

I’m guessing a single cat being kept indoors on its own, with it’s owners out at work could be bad.. My two seem normal, not under stimulated, although one behaves more like a dog….

cats are great, but they shouldn’t be allowed to roam free, I’ve got two of the buggers that live in my house/catio.

Do too much damage to the native population of rodents, birds etc, and its far too dangerous for the cats to be outside. On the local facebook groups there is literally a missing or dead cat every other day….

IMHO

Kids are kids, rough play happens…

Assuming your lad is OK and you feel the school has handled it appropriately. Stick with that.

Talk to your lad to check in that it isn’t a bigger issue with the other kid

outside of work, only thing I’d ever need one for is if i was doing something illegal…

I’m not interesting enough to be deliberately targeted in any way

I’m pretty IT savvy

Even logging in to my banking app requires so many layers of security that if a hacker can get into it, encrypting it over VPN even more won’t do nowt

At home , I don’t need the extra complexity, cost and latency

Also, you could argue you are giving the virtual keys to the kingdom to the VPN provider you are using as all of your traffic is going through them.

cheers, mine expired 2 days ago…

Be warned, it turned auto renewal on again, so had to cancel it after applying the code

What was said by Benos.. i have a Boardman ADV 8.9e drop bar thing i bought for my commute..

great up the hills, of which there’s a couple of decent ones on my 9.5 mile commute, but i mostly max out at 18mph on the flats, recently taken my gravel bike to work and it was approx the same time, but believe it or not easier (beyond the hills)

If you’re after one mine is for sale with about 500-600 miles on it..(Medium)